Muntinlupa eyes first home win, but faces acid test vs pacesetter Quezon City

LEAGUE-LEADING Quezon City tries to pick up another win on the road when it takes on home team Muntinlupa tonight in the main game of the MPBLAnta Rajah Cup.

Expect a full house crowd at the Muntinlupa Spor t s Complex as the Angelis Resortbacked Cagers try to finally win at home and sustain the momentum of their three game winning streak against the formidable Capitals supported by Royal Manila.

The Cagers were denied of a home victory in their first game of the season, losing to a crack Navotas Clutch- Big J Sports side, but coach Aldrin Morante and his troops had since then gathered together to pick up three consecutive wins and climb into a share of third to fourth spots with the Valenzuela Classic-Yulz.

This makes Muntinlupa a dangerous foe, according to Quezon City coach Vis Valencia, whose wards also came from a huge win on the road against the Parañaque Patriots last time around.

“It was a huge test for us, winning on the road last time. There are still a lot of lessons to be learned in the game,” added Mr. Valencia. “We’re playing another road game against a different Muntinlupa team. They’ve been playing well the past few games, different from the one we’ve seen since they lost their first game.”

In their last game against the Parañaque Patriots, the visiting Capitals were able to snatch a win, Mr. Valencia and his troops are hoping to duplicate the feat of notching another victory on the road to be able to move up to solo lead.

Winless teams Bataan and Imus collide in the first game at 7 p.m. as either one of them will finally break into the win column after five games.

But which between the BaiShipping bankrolled- Defenders and the GLC Truck and Equipmentsupported Band era can finally snap a four- game skid will be determined by the kind of energy these teams will show.

Gary David, the former multiple PBA scoring champion, had produced his least output in the tournament last time around, scoring only 10 points, yet the Defenders were able to push the Caloocan Supremos-Longrich to the limit. —